1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to technology for recognizing a table for an electronic menu system based on visible light, and more particularly to technology for providing table information by automatically recognizing a table at which a customer is sitting using a smart device, provided to the customer, and visible light lamps installed in a restaurant.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case of a system and method using paper menus, menus and order forms in different languages are necessary and employees are required to have language skill in order to serve a customer who speaks a foreign language. Also, when a customer calls an employee and places an order, because the employee must visit the customer's table, take and confirm the order, and deliver the order to the kitchen, time and labor are needed, and an increase in cost and deterioration of service quality may be caused.
Recently, as a system for providing an electronic menu and order form via a smart device is used, the amount of time spent to take and confirm an order is reduced, whereby the service quality is somewhat improved. Also, because a system includes an electronic menu and order form in different languages, there is no limitation as to the language used by customers. However, because employees do not visit a table when taking an order or being called, there is no way to provide information about the position at which a customer is seated to a kitchen or a counter. Accordingly, an electronic menu system to which a corresponding table number has been input must be fixed to a table, a customer must input a corresponding table number to an electronic menu system, or a separate messaging system and devices must be used.
In order to solve such inconvenience, an electronic menu system that is capable of providing information about the position of a customer using RF communication has been developed. That is, thanks to a system that provides information about the position of a customer as well as an electronic menu and order form, the amount of time spent to take and confirm an order is reduced, which results in somewhat improved service quality. This system solves the inconvenience of inputting a table number, but it is necessary to install a position information generator including a separate power supply device at each table in a restaurant, which incurs installation and maintenance expenses. Also, when RF communication is used to receive position information, because the coverage area thereof is uncertain and RF communication has no directivity, a region in which multiple pieces of position information overlap may be generated. As a result, it is difficult to provide precise information about the position of a user.